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http ://www,thechariottepost.com Cljarlotte ^ost LIFE Section THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2006 m RELIGION Charlotte minister launches plan to combat HtV, Page 6B America’s only tea plantation in S.C. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WADMALAW ISLAND, S.C. — Green-yellow tea plants reach into the distance at the Charleston Tea Plantation as a green harvester slowly makes its way down one row, gently cutting the youngest leaves finm atop the bixshes to make them into American Classic tea. The only commercial tea plantation in North America is again in pinduction and on May 11, began officially wel coming visitors again to see how tea is processed. “What we have here is a gem,” said WiUiam Hall, a third-generation English- trained tea taster and partner in the plantation. “I would hope that over time this win become a destination for a lot of tea drinkers and that it will bring a consider able number of people into Charleston,” added David Bigelow, the co-chairman of the board of R.C. Bigelow Inc., the Connecticut tea company that purchased the plantation at auction in 2003. Visitors are now able to take a tour though a spadoxas new production building where large-screen monitors ejqalain how tea is processed from green leaves to finished prod uct. As many as 50,000 visitors are expected this year, Bigelow said. The property on rural Wadmalaw Island is about 20 miles west of Charleston. Hall has been with the plan tation sir.ce 1987 and helped develop the Ameiican Classic brand after buying the planta tion with a partner from Lijfton, ■ which operated the 127-acre (51-hectare) property as an ejqDerimental station. At one point, American Classic was sold in more than 1,000 retail outlets. But finan- dal problems caused the plan tation to suspend operations for about a year and a half Bigelpw then purchased the property and has spent three years i*estructurtng the planta tion into both an operating plantation and a visitor attrac tion. ‘We have the resources in this new facility to really make tea important in America,” Hah said. “It would be a shame to see this plowed under and turned into condos.” The plantation now also has a gift shop selling everything fiom videos on how tea is made to tea cups and tea pots. The company would also like to add a restaurant at the plantation, Bigelow said. ‘We didn’t buy it originahy for tourism. We did buy it just to save it; we truly did. We just covildn’t let the only tea planta tion in America die,” said Lori Bigelow, Bigelow’s dau^ter and the company’s co-presi dent/ “It was for the country and it was for the tea indus try” Iburism, she said, was a sec ondary goal. “It just helps the business, and it doesn’t affect our factory work at ah,’’she said. Bigelow, a family company that was started in Connecticut in 1945, is proba bly best-known for its “Constant Comment” tea, an orange-spice blend. Ifea at the Charleston planta tion is harvested from late April throu^ October, with the harvester gatherir^ in a .day what it would take 500 laborers to do by hand. When tea is not being processed, visitors wih stih be ' Please see AMERICA’S /3B Life savers Animated franchise teaches kid safety By Herbert L. White herb.'A'h(le@fhechar/orfepo5tcom Keeping kids safe is no accident. The Danger Rangers, an animated series produced in Charlotte, encourages chil dren ages 3-7 to learn basic safety rules around the house and at play The pro gram was created by Education Adventures, and laimched last year on WTVI '{charmel4'2). Since then, the Rangers cast of characters - Suhy the seal, Kitty the cat, Burble the polar bear, Squeeky mouse and Burt the turtle - have spread to the Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York markets and appear in books and DVDs. In March, EA and Washir^ton-based Safe Kids International are partnering in a multimedia campaign that includes pubhc service annoimce- ments, print advertising and internet content. “Preventable accidents is the number one cause of death for children under 14,” said Galen Grayson M.D., president of Genesis Eye Center in Charlotte and advisor to the Danger Rangers franchise. “I see the Dai^r Rangers as a vacci nation through TV media ...that we’re able to get that message out.” Danger Rangers DVDs feature stories like ‘Wdd Wheels,” fea turing Rusty Ringtail, a skateboarding raccoon; Water Works,” an episode Grayson water safety and “Fires & Liars,” featuring a pair of mischievous boys who learn the hard way about the risks of fire emergencies and reporting a false alarm. The Rangers use action- adventure storylines and original songs to encourage children to make good deci sions. TOth school out for summer, this is the most dangerous time for kids under 14. From May to August, they will make 3 million emergency room vis its due to accidents ranging fiom drownings to bike colli sions, and 25,000 wUl die, Grayson said. Often, basic safety equipment like hel mets and ftoatation vests could prevent those inci dents. The chances of children being hurt or killed in acci dents increase in communi ties of color. “If you think about under served communities, chil dren are more than two times as hkely to die in a crash, four times as likely to drown and five times more likely to die in a fire,” Grayson said. “We’re more prone for economic reasons - we can’t afford it. It’s eco nomics, unfortunately” Wth an emphasis on “Think Safe, Play Safe, Be Safe,” the Danger Rangers book and DVD series deliv ers safetymessages through entertainment for the whole family But kids are the focus. ‘We can educate parents and caregivers, but the most important person to educate is the child,” said Grayson, the father of two. On the web Danger Rangers www.clangerrangersrom. Prominent dads prefer the simplest of gifts By Chens F. Hodges cherfl.noOgesS'thechortoffeposf.com Father’s Day is this week end and for most dads, the best gift they can receive is time alone with their family WPEG (98 FM) ‘Morning Madhouse” host and crunk- est DJ in the CaroLinas “No Limit” Larry Mims keeps it low key when it comes to celebrating Father’s Day. Former Charlotte Mayorial candidate, Patrick Cannon said being with his children is the perfect way to spend Father’s Day “That would be the best way to spent my day, simply with them,” Cannon said. Cannon and Mims both said that they don’t need fancy gifts from their kids to have a good Fath^’s Day Mims said the best pre- • sent he can receive fixsm his 6-year-old son Traelin is time together. “Just spending the day with my family or doing what ever he wants to do,” Mims said. That and the handmade cards that Mims’ son makes every year. “I put them in my room and I read them fixim time to time,” he said. Charlotte City Council member Warren Turner said the best way to spend dad’s day would be with family just doing nothing. “That’s somethii^ that I don’t get to do a lot,” he said. Timer’s 7-year-old dav^- ter doesn’t wait for Father’s Day to show her love. She makes handmade cards every week. If Timer could have one gift, he said it would be for his mother to get well. Cannon said that a simple hug, a thank you and an ‘I love you’ from his son Patrick (PJ) and daughter Brittany are better gifts than “silver, gold and plat inum for a true father.” Even though many dads don’t ask for much on Father’s Day still don’t for get him A study by Men Stufifoig that showed diildren call their fathers less, send fewer flowers and cards and don’t take dad out to eat as much as they do with mom on her day But for many See GIFT/3B Author olTers advice to non-custodial fathers By Aisha Lide FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST Not all men are deadbeat dads. “Tfears of a Father: Child Support, Visitation, Custody’ by Lamont Simmons is about his per sonal stru^e to be a father with “the system” working against him, as stated on the back of the book cover. ‘This book is about my experience of dealing with a woman who denied me the ri^t to see my child and a court system, which allowed her to do so. It shows how the family courts did nothing to ensure my rights as a par ent were upheld physically nor mentally only financial ly It also deals with educat ing people on the importance of children having a good father in their hfe. Lastly, the book cova:s topics con cerning the broken down family structure in black communities,” Simmons said. His loi^ term goals as an author is to be a voice that Beginning steps for physical activities The evidence is in, and it is beyond dispute. If there is a • “magic bullet” for promoting overall health, it’s regular phys ical activity Many studies have shown that regular physical activity can reduce the risk for many, major chronic conditions that plague our community includ ing heart disease, diabetes, obe sity andhighblood pressure. It also can be used as a treatment for these conditions to reduce the associated disability Physical activity has also been shown to improve mental and emotional health, and even to reduce the risk of developing gallstones! However, despite the many benefits of ecercise, most Americans do not engage in it to a degree that will reap these rewards. You may notice the use of the term physical activity instead of exercise. This is a purposeful and important distinction. Physical activity refers to any bodily movement that results in energy expenditure. Exercise, on the other hand, is structured and planned physical activity that usually results in larger energy eiq>enditure. Previously it was thou^t that only strenu ous exercise was beneficial to health. Remember the misguided old “no pain, no gain” motto? However, research has shown that moderate-intensity physi cal activity can produce health benefits. Moderate-intensity refers to a level of effort during which you should ecperi^ce some increase in breathing or heart rate, such as the breath ing you would ejq)erience dur ing a brisk w^Jk, dancing, or bicyding on a leVel surface. So, although vigorous activity is valuable, you don’t have to train hke the Williams sisters to get general health benefits! Cutting the grass or raking leaves can help you. Professional organizations have published physical activi ty guidelines for general health, cardiovascular fitness, and wei^t reduction. You may fed reluctant to start an activity program because of confusir^ information regardir^ physical activity guidelines (or, how much exercise do I need). Specifically, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine have specific recommendations for ‘general health’ which we will examine. These physical activity recom mendations are based on a con- See BEGINNING/2B encourages people to do the best they can, especially involving family issues. ‘My short-term goal is to shine a h^t on how the lack of fathers in the black com munity is keeping us back from any progress or positive outcome. Also show how the system is designed to keep See AUTHOR/3B Before engaging in strenu ous physical activity, warm up with easier tasks. O El
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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June 15, 2006, edition 1
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